


Don't Be Afraid

by TheLovelyLadyAuthor



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Psychological Trauma, Single Parents, daughter - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-30 20:32:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19410862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLovelyLadyAuthor/pseuds/TheLovelyLadyAuthor
Summary: Dr. Jonathan Crane is unexpectedly reunited with an old flame after many years, when she's admitted to his asylum after committing murder. What's an even bigger surprise is she had his child and how that she's incarcerated, Jonathan is the legal guardian.





	1. An Old Flame Can Be Extinguished

Jonathan stood in front of the shaking woman, narrowed eyes watching her with a soft of sick satisfaction as she writhed in the chair she was bound to.

“You know, it’s funny,” The doctor began, walking around the woman in the chair to stand behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You wanted to torture me once upon a time. Yet, here we are… and you’re the one tied up.”

The woman looked up at him, cocoa brown eyes wide with fear, though they were glassed over as an effect of the drugs that Jonathan had injected her with.

“What’s also funny is that it’s completely legal,” Jonathan paused for a moment at his words. “Well… essentially. You’re my patient, Carol. You have no family fighting for your rights. I can do as I please.”

The woman’s lips moved feverishly as she tried to speak, tried to call out for help, but no sound came.

“It’s no use, no one will help you. You’re part of my experiment now. Schizophrenia, I hadn’t even expected that when we were dating. Derangement. Psychotic tendencies.”

Carol Hanna was barely listening to her ex boyfriend’s words as she faced her own fears, trembling inside a prison that she had no hope of escaping.

“You killed three people, Carol. Are you even aware of that? Or are you so far gone that you haven’t a clue?” Jonathan’s voice taunted her, followed by a dry chuckle. “It doesn’t matter. I have no problems experimenting on you, Carol. You’re nothing but an old flame.”

Jonathan grabbed a fist full of the woman’s limp blonde hair and yanked her head back so she was staring up at him with wide eyes. Jonathan showed no sympathy for her as he spoke with a dark glint in his eyes.

“…and old flames can be extinguished.”

_**~*~*~*~** _

Jonathan had been enjoying himself with testing on a psychopathic ex, but, his fun was unfortunately short lived as Carol had passed out in the midst of a hallucination.

Currently he was seated in his office, a few hours after the experiment had ended. He was working on filling out notes for Carol and a few of the other patients that he had met that day. Jonathan wasn’t expecting anyone else, so the knock on his office door surprised him.

Glancing over at the clock, he frowned as he noticed it was close to the end of the work day, and he had been planning on heading home to get some rest.

He just hoped no one was planning on giving him extra work to do on a Friday evening.

Pushing back his chair, Jonathan approached the door and pulled it open, revealing a middle aged man with balding blond hair and dull blue eyes behind glasses.

“Oh, good afternoon, Dr. Crane,” The man greeted with a voice that came off as rather bubbly, holding out his hand, which Jonathan took with an internal sigh. “I’m Albert Klein with Gotham City’s Child and Family Services.”

Jonathan pulled away, raising an eyebrow at this Mr. Klein. Why on Earth would anyone from Child and Family Services be contacting him?

“What can I do for you?” Jonathan inquired dryly, and the man fiddled with some paperwork in a file before looking up at the taller man.

“Well, recently Ms. Carol Hanna was admitted into Arkham and into your care. This is correct, yes?”

“Yes, that would be correct,” Jonathan nodded slowly. “She was admitted last night after the murders of three people on Tuesday.”

“Mhm, tragic incident it was. Though, that’s obviously not what I’m here for. I’m here regarding Carol’s seven year old daughter who was found at her home early this morning when her school teachers became worried wondering why she wasn’t in school.”

Jonathan was quiet, wondering what this information had to do with him. Why should it be his business what happened to Carol’s pitiful offspring.

“We’re here regarding the child’s absent father, as she will be brought to his custody as she had no other family.” Albert continued, his words clicking in Jonathan’s head.

“I’m afraid I won’t be of much help determining the father. Ms. Hanna is rather incoherent and I doubt at this time it would be possible to extract such information from her. Perhaps you’d be better off doing a blood test.”

Jonathan felt rather confused at the weary little man let out a light chuckle, shaking his head before gently pushing his glasses up his nose.

“No, my apologies, Doctor, that wasn’t what I was referring to. Child and Family Services already is aware of who the girl’s father is and had already located him. That would be why I’m here.”

“I… I’m not sure I’m understanding correctly…” Jonathan swallowed nervously, something in the back of his mind fearing what this older man was talking about.

Albert Klein smiled sympathetically, aware that the pieces were coming together in Jonathan’s mind.

“You were in a relationship with Ms. Hanna nearing eight years ago, weren’t you?” Albert inquired, watching as the blood drained from the face of the man Albert assumed was usually very collected.

“…yes. I was.” Jonathan agreed slowly, his heart hammering in his chest, his mind a hurricane of thoughts all running along the same lines; _this can’t be happening_.

Mr. Klein gave a small, understanding smile, before pulling out the front page of the file and handing it to the darker haired man, who took it with shaking hands and held it up to be peered at through his thin rimmed glasses.

Sure enough, neatly printed on the line that read father, was Jonathan’s name.


	2. A Very Uncomfortable Introduction

Jonathan sat stiffly in an armchair that looked liked it belonged in the house of a grandmother, awaiting the return of Albert Klein, and the girl that was his…

He couldn’t even say the word in his own head.

Looking down, he toyed with his hands, trying to mask the helpless and almost frightened feeling that was upon him. Glancing at the small coffee style table in front of him, Jonathan eyed the tan file that contained the information on… Carol’s child.

He wanted to read it. Albert left it there for that purpose. But instead Jonathan looked around the room; a small quiet room where children often had visits with estranged parents.

At least that was what Jonathan made it out to be.

Taking a deep breath, the dark haired man turned back to the coffee table, and, with a trembling hand, reached out and grabbed it, opening it on his lap.

The first thing his eyes landed on was his name written as the father, which caused him to let out an involuntary shake before he looked at the top of the page for the child’s name, locating it just above his and Carol’s names.

_Nora Ayla Hanna_

Jonathan shook again, knowing the name only made the situation that more real for him. He glanced over the information on the page, logistics and details of appearance, but he didn’t really see it.

His thoughts were too much of a jumble to actually process anything he was reading.

“This is idiotic.” Jonathan suddenly snarled out loud to himself, his nervous face falling into his usual stern and cold expression.

He was not going to let this get to him, he was going to be calm and collected as he always was. Even as he was telling himself that, he jumped when the door to the room clicked open.

“Are you alright, Dr. Crane?” Albert questioned as he entered the room, pulling it shut behind him.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Jonathan snapped in response, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “I thought you were bringing the… child in.”

“It’s beneficial to discuss with you the plans first. Things such as whether you’re financially stable to provide for her, if there’s a room available for her at your place of residence, and where elementary schools are located near your housing…”

“Of course I’m financially stable,” Jonathan ground out at the other man. “I’m the head doctor at Arkham. As for the room, I have a spare one I can clear out, and I’m sure there’s a school just down the block. Not that any of this will be necessary.”

Albert watched Jonathan calmly until the last part of his sentence, which made the older man raise an eyebrow quizzically.

“Why do you say that, Dr. Crane?” He inquired, watching as Jonathan tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair almost impatiently, before abruptly standing up.

“I think it would be better for the… for the girl if… if she were to be put up for adoption instead of residing with me. After all I’m not fit to be a parent, my career is very important to me and I can’t honestly say I’m a very social or hospitable person-”

“Dr. Crane,” Albert interrupted, much to Jonathan’s annoyance. “I can understand your worries, but, I’d just like to ask that you at least attempt to care for her for at least a week.”

“…and why should I do that?”

“A lot can change in a week, Jonathan.” Albert smiled knowingly, causing Jonathan to swallow, though he kept his face blank and calm.

“Fine,” Jonathan breathed, his voice sounding rather annoyed. “But have adoption papers ready for next Friday. I doubt I’m going to change my mind.”

“As you wish, Dr. Crane. Would you like to meet Nora now?”

Jonathan almost collapsed back into his chair at the man’s words, but managed to retain an upright position as he stared down the blond man. He kept telling himself that this wasn’t actually happening.

“I… I suppose… yes.” Jonathan spoke as if he had something unpleasant in his mouth.

“Alright then. If you could just wait here, I will return with her momentarily.” Albert informed him, turning on his heel and striding out of the room, leaving Jonathan alone to his thoughts.

The good doctor remained standing, his body as still as if he had been frozen for many years. He could hardly breath, though you wouldn’t be able to tell that by looking at his face, as it was completely expressionless.

He was trying to figure out what he was going to do. He had to care for a child for an entire week. Not just a random child either.

Jonathan knew he wouldn’t enjoy this, he’d have to go out of his way to entertain a brat that belonged to none other than that psychopath Carol. Besides, Jonathan had important work to do for Ducard, who most likely wouldn’t be impressed about Jonathan’s new distraction.

The dark haired doctor was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Albert enter the room until he was standing in front of him. Jonathan blinked and swallowed nervously.

“Dr. Crane,” Albert smiled happily. “Meet your daughter, Nora.”

Despite his efforts not to, Jonathan looked down, his eyes meeting a very ragged, battered, and scared girl that half hid behind the blond social worker.

Jonathan’s eyes widened as he took in her appearance, dark brunette hair the same shade as his, hanging in limp waves down past her hips. Icy blue eyes that mirrored Jonathan’s, staring up at him from a face covered in bruises and cuts.

“What happened to her…?” Jonathan found himself asking as he looked up at Albert, who was watching the trembling little girl with sad eyes.

“Well, you’re aware of her mother’s condition, obviously. From past reports, Carol had a history of violently abusing, starving, and neglecting Nora. It was very rare that it was brought to attention of officials and as such nothing was ever done about it.”

Jonathan clenched his fists at his sides, before slowly releasing them and stuffing them into his pockets, taking a breath and nodding.

Slowly, he knelt down, the trembling child stared at him with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

“Hello, Nora,” Jonathan began, stopping to clear his throat. “My name is Jonathan. You’ll, uhm… you’ll be living with me for a while, alright?”

Nora simply stared at Jonathan, before hiding behind Albert and causing Jonathan to sigh. Pushing himself back to his feet, Jonathan turned to Mr. Klein.

“Alright… is there anything she had with her that I’ll need to take?”

“She has a few bags, they’re waiting in the lobby for you to take on your way out. My information is in that file which I encourage you to take with you, so if you need anything don’t hesitate to call.”

Jonathan nodded his head before turning and leaving the room, Mr. Klein and Nora following after him as he grabbed the small travel bags by the door and carried them out to his car, loading them into the trunk as Albert got Nora settled in the back seat.

After Albert briskly said goodbye, Jonathan drove off, appearing calm, but inside panicking over the fragile child that sat in his backseat.


	3. A One Sided Conversation

Jonathan unlocked the door of his apartment, standing aside rather stiffly as he let in the small child.

Nora looked around, her small hands holding fistfuls of her tattered dress as she stood still in the entrance while Jonathan shut the door and locked it for the night.

Quickly looking her over, Jonathan made a mental list of what he’d have to do for her tonight. Move old boxes out of the guest room and put new sheets on it. Let the girl have a bath and then feed her. Easy enough. Perhaps this week would pass quickly.

Carrying the girls bags into the spare bedroom, Jonathan felt relieved that there were only a few boxes up against the wall that he didn’t really have to move.

Instead he walked to the hall closet and grabbed clean sheets, taking to making the spare bed.

Once he was done, Jonathan straightened up and looked around, thinking that the girl would have followed him. When he didn’t see her, he walked into the entrance and found she had not moved from the position where he had left her.

Jonathan swallowed slowly, his face retaining a blank expression as he looked down in front of him at the girl once more, noticing how she didn’t lift her gaze from the floor.

“You don’t have to stand the door, you’re allowed to look around.”

She still didn’t move, though Jonathan caught a glimpse of startling blue eyes as they looked up at him for a split second.

“Well, alright, then,” Jonathan sighed, before turning and walking into the bathroom, beginning to fill the tub with warm water. “I’m just assuming you need a bath as the social workers didn’t seem to clean you up.”

Jonathan let out an impatient breath as he let the water run and walked back to where the girl remained, rigid in front of the door.

“Come with me.” Jonathan spoke in an attempt to get something from her, turning and walking towards the door.

At Jonathan’s demand, the girl followed him carefully, wandering into the bathroom behind him as he turned off the faucet, seeing that there was enough water in it for the little girl to sit with it halfway up her chest.

“You get in, I will come back in a few minutes with a towel and some clothes for you when you’re done.” Jonathan instructed, and, when no response came, he turned and left the room.

Jonathan couldn’t help but think to himself about how stupid the entire situation was. After all, the child wouldn’t even talk to him, and didn’t even seem to want to listen.

Why did he have to care for her?

After all, Jonathan knew there were plenty of other parents out there who couldn’t have children and would be willing to put in the time and patience that this child obviously needed.

Shaking his head, Jonathan pulled out a nightgown from her bag, finding it to be rather dirty. Frowning, he searched some more and found that most of the clothes in the bag weren’t clean enough to wear.

Grumbling to himself, Jonathan went into the small utility room near beside the bathroom and tipped each bag upside down, dumping the contents into the washing machine.

After the contents of each bag were loaded and the machine was turned on, Jonathan grabbed a towel from the hall closet and walked over to the bathroom door, hesitating for a moment before he raised his hand and gently knocked.

“…are you settled?” Jonathan called cautiously through the door, waiting a few seconds as he didn’t hear a response. “I’m going to come in and leave a towel for you.”

When all he was greeted with was silence, he sighed and pushed open the door.

“All you clothes were dirty so I put them in the… what are you doing?” Jonathan frowned as he found Nora standing, fully clothed, beside the bathtub, staring at the water with a blank expression. Jonathan gritted his teeth as he set the towel down on the counter.

“I thought I told you to get into the water while I was out of the room.” Jonathan spoke calmly, but on the inside he was losing his patience.

Staring at her, Jonathan watched through narrow eyes as she seemingly deliberately ignored him.

“What is wrong with you?” Jonathan snapped, watching as she girl flinched slightly at the sudden change of tone. “Don’t you know how to take a bath?”

Jonathan was shocked when the girl gave him a response to a question; a shake of her head.

“Oh.” Jonathan mumbled uncomfortably, feeling a bit guilty for getting angry at her for not doing something she didn’t know how to do.

Hesitating for a moment, Jonathan took a deep breath before shutting the door and walking over to sit on the edge of the tub in front of her. Pushing past his better judgment, Jonathan reached out to try and pull the girl’s dress over her head.

At the approaching hands, Nora flinched, stumbling back and raising her hands to cover her face as Jonathan hastily retreated.

“I… I’m trying to help you, okay? You need to be cleaned and if you don’t know how then I have no other choice but to do it for you.”

Nora was quiet for a moment, before she slowly lowered her hands and stared over at Jonathan, a careful look in her eyes. Jonathan knew that look, he’d used it before. Nora was trying to judge whether or not Jonathan was to be trusted.

After a moment, the small girl pulled her long hair to one side and over her shoulder, before she turned around to show Jonathan the zipper of the dress that was now revealed.

Sighing, Jonathan reached out and unzipped it, helping the small girl step out of it. Nora calmly removed the rest of her clothes – shoes, stockings, etc – before moving to the side of the tub and placing her hands on the side.

Nora let out a panicked sound when Jonathan grabbed her under the arms and lifted her over the side, setting her down in the warm water.

Jonathan sat down on the edge, grabbing a washcloth, the shampoo and conditioner bottles, and some soap, all the while ignoring the wide eyed look the small child was giving him. Once he turned to look at her, however, she turned to stare at the water.

“I don’t have any toys, so you won’t really be that entertained.” Jonathan mumbled, sighing when the little girl ignored him and swirled the water around with her fingers.

“You know,” Jonathan slowly began, shaking his head. “Conversations aren’t usually one sided.”

The bright eyed little girl looked over at him shyly when he said this, but, as always, didn’t respond. Jonathan took a deep breath before he poured some shampoo onto his hand before gently touching it to her head.

She shied away momentarily, as Jonathan had expected, but slowly relaxed as he began to run his hands through her hair, making sure the shampoo covered all of it.

“I’m guessing your mother didn’t brush your hair often.” Jonathan observed, watching as Nora shook her head before wincing as Jonathan attempted to pull through a knot.

Jonathan didn’t say anything as he rubbed the washcloth against the soap and then leaned over to attempt and gently scrub at the dirt and scratches that covered the small girl’s body. He had expected the cleaning of some of the cuts would hurt, so when she flinched it didn’t surprise him.

“Yes, it’s going to hurt. I’ll have to clean your cuts better after your bath, but, they haven’t been attended to so some of them are a bit infected.”

Nora nodded her head once more, before she returned her attention to swirling the water lightly in efforts to distract herself from the pain.

Jonathan didn’t try and talk much more, as he knew it was futile since she never responded.

It took about an hour to clean all the dirt away – Jonathan leaving halfway through to put the clean clothes in the dyer – before finally Nora was lifted out of the tub and wrapped in a towel that was about five times too big for her small body.

Jonathan stood there for a moment before he pulled open a drawer from under the sink and pulled out a comb, knowing he probably needed a brush but this would have to do.

Sitting down on the bathroom floor, he told Nora to do the same in front of him, and, once she did, he began to calmly pull through the knots in her hair, which was a bit easier now that it was clean. It took longer than expected, but, finally Jonathan was able to run his fingers through it smoothly.

“Does that feel better? You’re all clean and your hair isn’t knotted.” Jonathan inquired calmly, stifling a yawn. It was nearing eight and today had been a long day.

Nora nodded her head, glancing back at Jonathan.

“What are you looking at?” Jonathan questioned calmly, and Nora quickly looked away, causing Jonathan to sigh lightly to himself before standing up and looking down at her.

“Come on, now. Let’s get those cuts cleaned.”


	4. A Bit of Midnight Torment

“Try and sit still, would you? Squirming isn’t going to make it sting any less.”

Nora whimpered almost inaudibly at Jonathan’s words, forcing herself to storm squirming as he dabbed her cuts with a soft cloth.

“There, you’re all done.” Jonathan sighed, finishing the last cuts on her arms. She had some particularly nasty bruises and cuts on her chest and back, so Jonathan had dealt with those first.

After he had cleaned and bandaged the bigger injuries, he helped her dress in her now clean nightgown before cleaning up the smaller scratches that adorned her arms, legs, neck, and face.

Unexpected of a small child, Nora was rather well behaved through all of it.

“Okay. Now that you’ve washed up, and your cuts have been cleaned, it’s probably beneficial for you to eat something before bed. Are you hungry?” Jonathan questioned, searching through the cupboards. “I don’t have a lot… do you like grilled cheese sandwiches?”

Jonathan turned to look at Nora for a response, watching as she nodded her head from where she had been placed on the kitchen counter while she was being bandaged.

Glad that he could make something the girl liked, Jonathan got out all the necessities for their dinner and began to cook, unaware of how intently Nora was watching him.

Since it was quick to make, it wasn’t long before Jonathan set two plates down on the table and moved Nora off the counter and into a chair. He poured two glasses of milk, as that was really all he had, and placed one in front of Nora before he sat down.

Eager for this evening to end so he could get some most needed sleep, Jonathan quietly began eating his sandwich. It took a few moments for him to realize Nora hadn’t touched hers.

Looking over at her, Jonathan set his sandwich done and surveyed her, trying to come up with an explanation for why she wasn’t eating. He knew he couldn’t just ask her as she wouldn’t respond. After a moment, Jonathan had a slight theory.

“You’re allowed to eat now.”

At the sound of Jonathan giving his permission, Nora picked up her food and began to eat, not paying Jonathan any more attention as he watched with a slightly sad expression.

Shaking his head, Jonathan returned to his food and, once they were both finished, cleaned up the plates and glasses while Nora watched silently from her seat. Once everything was tidy, Jonathan turned to face Nora.

“Do you need anything before you go to sleep?” He questioned her, watching as she shook her head. Jonathan nodded before leaving the room. “Follow me.”

Nora did so obediently, following Jonathan into the spare bedroom and watching as he pulled back the covers on the bed and turned to her.

“This is where you’ll be sleeping. You know where the washroom is if you need to use it in the night. I will leave the light on since you probably can’t reach it. My room is at the end of the hall… if you need anything that’s where I will be.”

The small girl nodded at his words, walking cautiously over to the bed and climbing into it, pulling the blankets securely around herself.

“Alright, well… goodnight.” Jonathan spoke, before turning and leaving the room, turning off the light.

Sighing, he pulled the door almost closed, before heading towards his room, making sure to flick on the light in the washroom as he passed.

Entering his bedroom, Jonathan closed it almost completely before changing out of his work clothes and into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, before turning off the light and walking over to his bed. Setting his glasses down on the bedside table, Jonathan settled down and closed his eyes.

He thought he may not be able to fall asleep due to all the thoughts going through his head, but, perhaps due to the emotionally taxing day, he was out within minutes.

**_~*~*~*~_ **

The sound of someone moving through his apartment was what woke Jonathan Crane.

Tense, the doctor rolled over and looked at the clock which read almost eleven o'clock. He’d only been asleep for almost an hour and a half.

Sitting up, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, making as little sound as humanely possible as he walked over to his desk.

Pulling open the drawer, Jonathan eyed the door cautiously as he pulled out an empty syringe and a container of a yellow-orange liquid. He thought to himself, as he filled the syringe with the liquid, that whoever thought it would be a good idea to break into his home was very wrong.

Setting the container down, Jonathan held the syringe, armed, as he approached his door, his tired mind not remembering why it was slightly open already.

Entering the hall, Jonathan saw something small moving in the utility room next to the bathroom.

Something in the back of his mind told him to relax, but, being half asleep, he still had to investigate. Slowly and silently he approached the utility room, his hand crawling across the wall for the light switch.

The small figure had not noticed him as it seemed to be trying to climb the washing machine, but, as Jonathan flicked on the lights, the intruder jumped away and fell onto the floor with a thump.

It took Jonathan a moment to process what he was seeing; a child on the floor, shaking and staring at him. After a moment, the memories from a few hours ago came back and Jonathan sighed, setting the syringe down on top of the machine where Nora couldn’t see it.

“What are you doing? It’s eleven o'clock, you should be asleep. Why are you wandering?”

Nora looked down at her hands, her face held an expression of embarrassment as she pushed herself off the floor and into a standing position.

Jonathan watched calmly, yet curiously as she walked to the washing again and reached up, grabbing the top as if she were trying to pull herself up, though it was clear she did not possess the strength needed to do as such.

“You don’t need anything from in there… it’s just your clothes from the bags you had with you.” Jonathan sighed, frustrated by the small child.

Nora released the side of the machine and stepped away, shocking Jonathan when he saw that she looked as if she were about to cry.

Groaning lightly, Jonathan moved over to the dryer and pulled the door open.

“Your clothes are in here, not the washer. What do you need?” He questioned calmly, and Nora tottered over to stand beside him, looking into the machine with a sort of urgency in her eyes.

Sighing, Jonathan grabbed a basket off the floor and began pulling the clothes out, and putting them in the basket, not sure what the girl was looking for. Though, his internal question seemed to be answered when he pulled out a soft stuffed fox.

Nora let out a worried sound as Jonathan held the plush, looking it over. One of the eyes was missing, and it had multiple tears in the fabric. The trip through the machine seemed to also cause a bit of the stuffing to fall out.

“This is what you were looking for? It’s a bit worse for wear… it should probably just be thrown out.”

The small girl’s eyes widened at his words and tears filled them, causing Jonathan to do a double take at the sight, not wanting to have to deal with a crying child.

“Don’t get upset, I won’t throw it out if it means that much to you.” He assured her, watching as she seemed to relax a bit, wiping her eyes to dry the tears that had yet to fall. She watched warily as Jonathan stood up, still holding the stuffed animal.

“If I give this back to you, will you go to sleep?” He inquired, and Nora nodded her head rapidly, reaching up with small arms to take the plush.

Sighing, Jonathan released the fox into Nora’s grasp, watching as she clutched it tightly and ran off to the spare room without another glance at Jonathan.

Shaking his head, Jonathan shut off the light and returned to bed.

**_~*~*~*~_ **

Jonathan woke up once again a few hours later, though this time it wasn’t because he heard someone moving around, it was because of an unidentified sound.

He looked at the clock. Almost two in the morning. Assuming it was Nora again, Jonathan groaned, knowing that kids often woke up multiple times a night, but he had thought that was just with infants and small toddlers.

Sitting up, he listened carefully for the sound once more, and, as he heard it, his slightly more conscious mind identified it as soft crying.

Finding this a bit peculiar, Jonathan climbed out of bed and exited his bedroom, following the sound into the living room, and entering quietly, so he could see what Nora was doing without risk of scaring her.

It was dark when he entered, but, he had no trouble finding her as she sat on the windowsill, a feat accomplished due to her small stature. Moonlight illuminated her small form, showing that she was crying, hugging the fox plush tightly to her chest.

Jonathan watched quietly for a moment, completely unsure of what he was supposed to do. He wanted to go back to bed, but, he knew he couldn’t just leave her there.

Approaching quietly, Jonathan was able to reach Nora’s side without her noticing.

He kneeling down and gently placed a hand on her back in an attempt to console her, but, instead it caused the small girl to jump about a foot in the air, looking over at him with wide, scared eyes.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Nora. I’m not going to hurt you. What wrong? Why are you so upset?” He whispered the question calmly to her, watching as she turned away and wiped her tears away hastily.

Remembering how low the changes of getting an answer out of her were, Jonathan sighed and opted for trying to figure it out himself.

“Let me take a guess,” He began, causing Nora to turn and look up at him. “You tried to sleep and had a nightmare. When you woke up, you were too scared to try and sleep again that you came out here.”

Nora stared at him for a moment before she slowly nodded her head in agreement.

Taking a deep breath, Jonathan slowly reached toward her, testing the waters, and, when Nora acknowledged him moving towards her and didn’t shy away, he pulled her into his arms and stood up, holding her against him.

“There’s nothing to worry about, you’re safe here.” He assured her as he slowly carried her back into the spare bedroom.

He felt Nora’s unsteady breaths tickle his neck as they entered the room.

“You just hold onto your fox tightly and close your eyes, you’ll be okay.” He informed her, but, as he tried to set her down on the bed, he found her clutching tightly onto the fabric of his shirt.

He gently tired to pry her fingers off his clothing, but, to no avail. The small child seemed set on keeping him right beside her.

“You’re not going to let me leave, are you?” He questioned dryly, and, when Nora neither shook or nodded her head, he let out an annoyed groan before securing her in his arms once more, and straightening back up.

“Fine, but I want to sleep, and I’m not sleeping in here.”

Jonathan was too tired to care at that moment. He had enough room on his bed if she wasn’t going to let him go, so she could stay there. Perhaps then she’d sleep if she felt safe enough.

Nora was quiet as she was carried into the bedroom at the end of the hall and set down on the bed, the man she was told was her father settling down next to her. She rested her head on the pillow, refusing to remove her grip from his shirt.

Jonathan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping she would just sleep. After a moment, he felt that he was still being watched, and, opening his eyes, he saw mirrors of his own staring back at him.

“Close your eyes.” He ordered, and Nora’s lip trembled before she reluctantly obliged, her grip on Jonathan’s shirt tightening.

The dark haired man sighed as he raised a hand to gently run it through the small girl’s hair in what he hoped what a soothing manner. As he attempted to lull her to sleep, he gave his attempt at calming words before he himself fell asleep.

“Don’t be afraid…”


	5. Man's Most Glorious Task

The next morning, Jonathan was rather confused as he woke up with a small child cuddled up to him, her hands clutching his shirt.

Slowly, he remembered being woken up twice during the night and sighed, gently prying Nora’s hands off his clothes before sitting up. Figuring she needed more sleep, he was going to leave her be for a while more, at least until he made something for breakfast.

He stood up, grabbed his glasses, and was about to leave the room when he got an idea, causing him to turn around and walk back over to the side of the bed, looking down at the sleeping girl.

Perhaps if he did something kind for the girl, she’d trust him a little more and be easier to work with, maybe even start to talk, which would cause a lot less frustration for Jonathan.

Reaching down, he gently moved her arms away from the plush fox and plucked it off the bed.

Quietly, since if he woke Nora he assumed she’d have a fit and not let him help, he moved out of the room and down the hall to the smallest room in the house, which was Jonathan’s office. Entering, he walked over to the desk and sat down, placing the plush on the flat surface.

Rummaging quietly through the drawers, he finally found a sewing kit he had bought a while ago for a certain… project he was working on. Pulling it out, he placed it on the table.

He turned the doll over in his hands, making mental note of all the places where the stuffing was pouring out. Adjusting his glasses, Jonathan grabbed a needle and some dark red thread.

Slowly, he threaded the needle, and, pushing the stuffing back in, he threaded each tear on the parts of the fox that were made with red fabric.

Then, he fixed two spots on the white parts with white thread, one on the belly and one on the tail, and then one spot on the black with black thread, on the back right leg. Satisfied with his work and neat stitches, Jonathan was about to put the kit away when he remembered the eye.

Frowning, Jonathan observed the face of the plush before smirking as he got an idea, digging around in the bottom of the sewing kit before he pulled out a perfect sized black button.

Carefully, he weaved black thread through the buttons and the fabric on the face of the fox, before he pulled it tightly and tied it off, smiling as the fox doll looked up with its shiny new button eye.

Looking up, Jonathan almost jumped a foot in the air when he saw Nora on the other side of the desk, barely tall enough to peer over at him with a worried and rather panicked look in her eyes. Jonathan knew she was wanting her toy.

Standing up, Jonathan walked around the desk and knelt down in front of Nora, who watched him warily, her eyes flickering from his to the plush and then back to his again.

“Here you go, Nora,” Jonathan smiled as kindly as he could manage, while holding the fox up for her to see. “I fixed him for you. See? I stitched up all the tears and I even gave him a new eye.”

It took a minute for her to react, but, when she did, Jonathan could honestly say he wasn’t prepared.

Nora’s entire face lit up, and a smile crossed her face that made Jonathan’s heart stop. The dark haired man couldn’t really say he had ever found anything cute before, but, in that moment, the happy little girl was the most adorable thing he’d ever set eyes on.

The small child took a step forward and Jonathan expected her to take the plush from him, but, instead, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Jonathan was frozen, honestly not knowing entirely how to react, but, it seemed he didn’t have time to, since as quickly as she had stepped forward, she stepped away, taking the plush from Jonathan.

“I…” Jonathan trailed off, before shaking his head and smirking lightly as he stood up straight. “I’ll just take that as a thank you, then.”

Nora smiled sheepishly at Jonathan while hugging the plushie tightly to her chest. Jonathan smiled lightly before turning and walking towards the door, talking as he did.

“Just try and be careful with it. It’s obviously an old toy and it could rip again easily. I know you don’t want to have to throw him in the garbage, but you might have to it he gets too torn up.”

“She.”

Jonathan froze in the doorway, slowly turning back to look at the little girl, who was calmly looking down at the newly repaired plush with admiration in her eyes.

Jonathan was quiet, as he couldn’t really be sure that she had spoken.

“…did you say ‘she’?” Jonathan questioned slowly, watching as Nora looked up at him, bright blue eyes glittering as she nodded her head.

“Piper.” Nora spoke, Jonathan’s heart fluttering as this time he saw her lips move to match the sweet, gentle little voice that rang in his ears.

“Piper,” Jonathan repeated slowly, the name of the plush sounding lovely in his ears. “That’s a very nice name, Nora. Did you name her?”

He was questioning her, trying to keep her talking, but, Nora didn’t give a verbal response as she simply nodded her head in response to his question. Jonathan hesitated, not knowing what he should do with this new progress he had gotten from the small girl. He wanted to keep it going.

“Would you like something for breakfast?” Jonathan inquired, to which Nora nodded her head again and walked over to him, stepping past him and out of the room.

Jonathan watched her go, a light smile on his face before he followed after her.

What was that saying, he wondered to himself. To be doing good deeds is man’s most glorious task. Something along those lines.

Originally Jonathan had fixed the toy to try and get Nora to be a little less scared and therefore less frustrating, but, when Jonathan saw the happiness on her face he felt as if that was the greatest reward for his actions.

**_~*~*~*~_ **

The day had passed quickly and quietly.

Jonathan and Nora had breakfast, gone to the store to get some food to stock up the kitchen, returned to the apartment, and Jonathan had gone to do work while allowing Nora to read, something she apparently could do quite well.

While Jonathan didn’t have many books suitable for her age, she seemed fine with flicking between books, mainly ones by Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and Mary Shelly.

Her favorite, as Jonathan observed, seemed to be a collection of works by Edgar Allan Poe.

Throughout the day, Nora had remained silent, not really another word uttered after she disclosed the name of her treasured stuffed fox. Though, as he was cleaning up the dishes from diner, Jonathan decided he was going to try and converse with her again.

After everything was tidy, Jonathan wandered into the living room where he knew Nora had gone, and sure enough, he found her sitting on the windowsill, reading.

“Nora,” Jonathan began, his voice calm and collected as always, causing the girl to look up at him curiously. “Come, sit. I want to talk to you.”

Nora watched as Jonathan sat on the couch, patting the seat beside him. She seemed to consider his request for a moment, before closing the book and dropping down to the floor, cautiously trotting over to climb onto the seat beside him.

“I’ve noticed that you like to read,” Jonathan stated casually, watching Nora give a slight nod. “Those are rather… well… those aren’t children’s books, are you understanding what you’re reading?”

The little girl frowned slightly at him, looking down at the book in her hands.

“My teachers said I was the best reader in my class,” Nora informed Jonathan calmly, running her fingers over the cover of the book with a gentle caress. “Though I could only read at school and when mama wasn’t around… the teachers said I was very… articulate.”

Jonathan blinked at her, her manner of speech and the way the words rolled off her tongue were certainly evidence to her claims, even though she had to say larger words more slowly.

“Well,” Jonathan swallowed before giving her a light smile. “That’s quite an accomplishment. Why don’t you show me?”

Nora seemed to consider this for a moment, before nodding and sliding off the couch.

“I will read from my favorite. It was the only book I ever bought, I saved up for it, but, mama threw it away when she found it… she didn’t like me reading.” Nora spoke as she wandered over to Jonathan’s bookshelf, skimming over the titles.

“Why didn’t she like you reading…?” Jonathan inquired cautiously, watching as Nora looked over at him and gave a light shrug, and didn’t respond.

Nora’s eyes flickered over the book spines before she grabbed one and pulled it off the shelf, seemingly admiring the cover for a moment before she turned and returned to her seat beside Jonathan, offering him the book.

Jonathan took it from her and looked at the cover. The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. A good book, Jonathan would say he was a fan.

Opening the book to a random page, Jonathan handed it back to Nora.

Her eyes skimmed the page quickly, while Jonathan waited for her to select a passage. After a moment, Nora took a breath and began to read.

“At such times I could not help remarking and admiring (although from his rich ideality I had been prepared to expect it) a peculiar analytic ability in Dupin. He seemed, too, to take an eager delight in its exercise –if not exactly in its display –and did not hesitate to confess the pleasure thus derived.”

Jonathan was stunned, the way she read the words was as if she had written them herself. She was obviously familiar with the story, though she still struggled slightly on occasion.

“He boasted to me, with a low chuckling laugh, that most men, in respect to himself, wore windows in their bosoms, and was wont to follow up such assertions by direct and very startling proofs of his intimate knowledge of my own.”

Nora looked up at Jonathan, and he could see in her eyes that she was seeking his approval. Jonathan gave her a smile and nodded, silently urging her to continue.

“His manner at these moments was frigid and abstract; his eyes were vacant in expression; while his voice, usually a rich tenor, rose into a treble which would have sounded petulantly but for the deliberateness and entire distinctness of the enunciation.”

Jonathan felt a sort of pride at that moment. Though he was still not adjusted to the idea of having a child, he still was rather proud that this one seemed to share intelligent traits with him.

“Observing him in these moods, I often dwelt meditatively upon the old philosophy of the Bi-Part Soul, and amused myself with the fancy of a double Dupin –the creative and the resolvent.”

Nora looked up at Jonathan, and, when he realized her words had stopped, smiled.

“Was that good?” She inquired, and the sound of her meek voice reminded her that the person in front of him was in fact an innocent little seven year old girl.

“Yes, it was very good, Nora. Your teachers most certainly weren’t lying.” He praised, his heart warming at the smile that lit up the small girl’s face.

She seemed about to say something, when a knock sounded on the door, causing Jonathan to tense.

Nora let out a surprised squeak when Jonathan pulled her up into his arms, grabbing the book and the stuffed fox before quickly darting into his bedroom and setting Nora down on the bed.

“I need you to stay here, alright? Don’t come out of this room.” He instructed very seriously, and Nora, with wide, rather frightened eyes, nodded her head.

Jonathan turned and exited the room, shutting the door beside him and adjusting his glasses. Taking a deep breath, he strolled over to the door and pulled it open, giving a brisk nod and addressing the man outside his door.

“Good evening, Ducard.”


	6. An Evening Visit

“Good evening, Doctor.”

Jonathan stepped aside to allow the distinguished man into the building. Ducard entered, his hands held calmly behind his back, followed by two other men.

“What can I do for you?” Jonathan inquired as he shut the door behind them and turned to face Ducard and his two… guards, as he assumed they were.

“Nothing much, Doctor. Just here to make sure things are going according to schedule. The great Ra’s al Ghul will be arriving in Gotham within the month and I must be assured that everything is in order.” Ducard explained, and Jonathan nodded his head.

“Yes, everything is going according to plan. The toxin is being dispersed into the water supply without any complications.” Jonathan nodded, watching Ducard pace slightly down the hall, looking around.

“Good,” The man nodded his head in approval. “What about Mr. Falcone? The shipments have been arriving on time? No delays?”

“No delays. He’s been asking for a number of favors though. I’m scheduled for a hearing on Monday to move Victor Zsasz, one of Falcone’s men, into Arkham through an insanity plea. This isn’t the first one either. I believe I’m beginning to attract some attention.”

Ducard turned to him with a frown, looking thoughtful for a moment.

“Tell him no more favors. We can’t have anyone catching on, especially not at this point… do you always leave weaponized hallucinogens laying around your apartment, Doctor?”

Jonathan looked confused before he noticed the syringe Ducard had picked up off the top of the washing machine in the small open utility room. Jonathan swallowed but kept a calm look on his face as he shook his head.

“No, I merely forgot I put it down. My apologies.” Jonathan spoke briskly, and Ducard gave him a calculating look before he pocketed the syringe.

Not even one of the four men noticed the door to the master bedroom click open ever so slowly, nor did they notice the pair of brilliant blue eyes that peered out of the crack.

“I expect no failures, Doctor. I want this plan to go off without a hitch and I’m trusting you to pull it off. Make sure everything runs smoothly.” Ducard spoke, and Jonathan nodded his head.

“Of course. The last shipment is on Thursday evening. Perhaps some extra security can be added to ensure everything goes according to plan.” Jonathan assured him confidently, earning a smirk and nod from the man opposite him.

“Good. You know to contact me if anything goes awry.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then I believe we shall be on our way.” Ducard announced, giving Jonathan another smirk that masked the face of a mercenary.

Ducard turned to his men, and Nora adjusted her footing at the wrong time.

“Oh, and what’s this..?” Ducard inquired, stepping towards the master bedroom and causing Jonathan’s eyes to widen.

The man pushed open the bedroom door, causing Nora to stumble back, clutching the stuffed fox while she shook in fear. Ducard observed her for a moment, before he turned to face Jonathan with a rather stern look.

“You didn’t inform me that you had children.” He spoke calmly, though Jonathan could see the disapproving look in his eyes.

“I wasn’t aware until yesterday,” Jonathan explained quickly. “She was brought into my care after her mother was deemed unfit to care for her.”

Ducard observed Jonathan silently for a moment, considering this information.

“She is your child by blood?”

“Yes.”

“Very well,” Ducard sighed, looking down at the little girl who stood, quivering in the door, looking over at Jonathan. “But if she proves to be a problem, or distraction to your work, Doctor, we have the means to dispose of her.”

Jonathan was silent as Ducard and his men walked to the door, pulling it open. The two guards exited, leaving Ducard paused in the doorway, looking back at Jonathan.

“We will be in touch, Doctor… the great Ra’s al Ghul does not accept failure.”

With that, he left, closing the door of the apartment behind him with a light click. Jonathan stood, silent for a moment, before moving calmly over to the door and locking it, securing the apartment for the evening.

Nora watched silently as he did this, before he turned and walked over to her, looking down from where he towered above her.

“I thought…” Jonathan began, eyes narrowed and tone one of annoyance that only caused Nora’s trembling to worsen. “I thought I told you to stay in the bedroom.”

The small girl looked down at the ground, avoiding Jonathan’s gaze the best she could.

Sighing, Jonathan knelt down to her level and reached out to gently place his hands on her shoulders, and, when she didn’t look up, he gently touched her chin and tilted her face up. Jonathan blinked in surprise when he saw the tears falling silently down her flushed cheeks.

“Nora, why are you crying?” Jonathan questioned, and Nora pulled her face away from his grip and lowered it again, her brunette hair falling over her face.

Jonathan opened his mouth to say something, but, couldn’t find the words.

“Please don’t hurt me…”

The dark haired man stared at the trembling form of the child in front of him, begging him not to cause her any harm. Jonathan knew he never would, but, of course that was what Nora would be expecting, having been raised the way she was.

She reminded Jonathan of himself. The way he’d plead with his grandmother not to hurt him. The way he’d be quiet in fear of saying the wrong thing and getting punished.

Silently, Jonathan reached forward and wrapped his arms around the little girl.

Nora tensed slightly at the embrace, but, slowly relaxed as she realized what it was. Jonathan silently stroked her hair as she cried into his shoulder, trying his best to comfort her in the only way he could figure out how.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Nora. I’m not like her, you’re safe with me.” Jonathan whispered to her, holding the little girl close to him, her face in the crook of his neck.

Jonathan sighed, standing up and pulling the little girl with him, holding her securely in his arms.

“I think it’s time for you to get some sleep, Nora.” He told her, and she was silent as he carried her into the spare bedroom, setting her down and handing her nightgown to her.

Once she had changed and was settled in bed, Jonathan made to leave the room, his hand about to hit the light switch when Nora’s soft voice sounded.

“…you won’t leave me, will you?”

Jonathan paused, the question asked by her fragile voice sounded in his mind. He thought of his plans to sign adoption papers at the end of the week. He thought of how she would be better with a happy couple as her parents.

He wasn’t sure if he was lying or telling the truth when he responded.

“No. I won’t.”


	7. Diagnosis Over Breakfast

Sunday morning rolled around, and Jonathan woke up to the sun peeking through the curtain of his bedroom window.

Groaning slightly, he rolled over away from the window, settling back down against his pillow. After a moment, he felt that something was odd, and opened his eyes, which immediately fell on the piercing blue eyes peering at him from over the edge of the bed.

Jumping back in shock, Jonathan felt himself topple off the side of the bed and land on the floor with a thump. Groaning slightly, he sat up, running his fingers through his hair, before reaching up to grab his glasses off the bedside table.

Turning his head, Jonathan looked at Nora with narrowed eyes from where she was peeking over at him with an entertained expression on her face.

“Well. Good morning, Nora,” Jonathan greeted with a calm expression, causing Nora to giggle softly and smile. “Do you need something or are you just standing by my bed for fun?”

Nora gave a sheepish smile and opened her mouth, pointing to it.

“You’re hungry? You know, you can use your words. I’d honestly prefer that you did.” Jonathan informed her, pushing himself to his feet and dusting off his pajama pants.

Nora didn’t speak, so Jonathan simply sighed and walked out of his bedroom, with the small child clutching the stuffed fox tottering after him.

“She didn’t like it when I spoke. She said I was annoying.”

Jonathan frowned as he turned on the coffee maker in the kitchen, before turning around to face the small child peering up at him.

“You’re referring to your mother?”

Nora nodded her head, pulling back a chair at the table and managing to pull herself up to sit on it, holding Piper on her lap.

“Well, I like when you talk. There’s nothing wrong with speaking. Your mother has some problems, that’s for sure.” Jonathan spoke rather coldly, pulling out of the cupboard a box of cereal he’d purchased for Nora the day before.

“Where is she?”

“Hm?” Jonathan frowned, not really understanding the question as he poured some of the cereal into a bowl, along with some milk, and placed it in front of Nora.

“Where is my mother?” Nora questioned less vaguely, taking the spoon Jonathan offered to her.

Jonathan was quiet, trying to think of how to respond as he poured his now brewed coffee into a mug and sat down opposite Nora at the table.

“Your mother is…” Jonathan paused, taking a sip of the coffee. “Your mother is… what are you giggling at?”

“Your glasses.”

Jonathan pulled off his glasses, which had fogged up due to the steam of his coffee, and set them down on the table in front of him.

“As I was saying; you mother is currently… housed where I work.” He tried to explain in the most friendly yet vague way possible, as not to disturb the child.

“Where do you work?”

Jonathan cursed slightly, before deciding that Nora seemed intelligent enough to know the truth, and to know that her mother was rather ill.

“I work at Arkham Asylum, down in the Narrows.” Jonathan responded slowly, and Nora looked thoughtful, considering his words.

“Arkham… Asylum… an asylum is for sick people, right?” Nora peered over at Jonathan curiously, watching him nod his head. “So… she’s sick?”

“Uh… yes. I’m her doctor.”

“What’s your diagnosis?”

“I beg your pardon?” Jonathan blinked, surprised at Nora’s question, or rather her choice of words. “Where did you hear that word?”

“I watched doctor shows on television when mother wasn’t around.” Nora explained, looking down at her hands sheepishly, most likely thinking Jonathan was mad at her.

“That’s very impressive, Nora,” Jonathan praised, causing Nora to look up, surprised, before giving him a sweet smile. “But, I’m technically not allowed to discuss patients outside of the asylum.”

“Oh.” Nora nodded thoughtfully, going back to munching on her cereal.

“But, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you, as you are, after all, her daughter,” Jonathan mused, causing Nora to look up at him curiously, waiting for him to continue. “I diagnosed her with Derangement, psychotic tendencies, and Schizophrenia.”

Nora nodded her head slowly, looking thoughtful, before she looked back at Jonathan.

“Was that why she as so… why she didn’t like me that much?”

“It’s… a possibility. Your mother was never the, uh… nicest person, even to me. Though I’m not entirely sure yet how long she’s had these problems.”

“What did she do that got her brought to your work?”

“I’d rather not answer that, Nora, I think you’re a little young to concern yourself with these things. Do you understand?” He raised an eyebrow, to which Nora nodded her head immediately. “Anyways, I think today we should go out, perhaps get you some new things.”

“Like what?” Nora frowned softly, tilting her head to the side curiously.

“Well, clothes, books, toys, perhaps.”

“Oh, you don’t have to. I’m okay. Thank you, though.” Nora shook her head politely, causing Jonathan to frown slightly.

“I have to run some errands anyways, it’s not really a big deal,” Jonathan retorted, though, Nora still didn’t seem that convinced. “When was your birthday, Nora?”

“I turned seven about three months ago.”

“Alright, well, consider it a belated birthday gift. Or, to make up for birthdays I’ve missed.” Jonathan offered kindly, to which Nora seemed to consider.

“Well… okay, I suppose. Thank you.” Nora nodded her head, a small smile gracing her lips.

“It’s no problem. Go get dressed when you’ve finished your breakfast, and we’ll head out.” He instructed, to which Nora nodded once more, lifting her spoon to her mouth.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Nora finished her breakfast, allowing Jonathan to pick up her bowl to clean while she slid off the chair and tottered off to the bedroom to get changed and ready for the day.

After tidying up, Jonathan went into his room and dressed himself in a pair of his regular dress pants and a white button up shirt, skipping the tie and suit jacket as he figured a shopping trip was a bit more casual.

Walking out of his room, Jonathan grabbed his wallet and car keys off the coffee table before turning around as Nora walked out of the room.

She smiled up at him as she walked over, dressed in a soft lavender shirt with a black skirt underneath. Walking over to him, she held up her hand, showing him two hair ties with small purple bows on them.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at him, before it dawned on him what she was silently asking him to do for her.

“Oh, I’m… not really that good that.” Jonathan spoke slowly, to which Nora pouted slightly, causing him to sigh and nod his head, walking over to the bathroom.

Nora followed him, watching as he pulled the comb out of the drawer under the sink before she sunk to the floor, allowing Jonathan to sit down behind her and start to comb through her lengthy brunette tresses.

After he was satisfied that it was without tangles, he separated her hair loosely down the middle and tied it into two low-hanging pigtails under her ears.

Turning her around, Jonathan surveyed his handiwork before reaching out and adjusting both sides until they were near perfect, causing him to smile slightly.

“There,” Jonathan spoke softly, standing up and pulling Nora into his arms, causing her to let out a small sound before he held her in front of the mirror. “What do you think?”

“Oh, it’s pretty. Much better than I or mother ever did.” Nora complimented, causing Jonathan to flush slightly at the compliment.

“Well… I’m glad. Come on now, let’s get going.” Jonathan said, setting Nora down, watching as she tottered out of the room, back into the kitchen.

Jonathan followed her, watching as she grabbed Piper from where she was left on the kitchen table, before she turned around and walked over to where he was standing by the door.

“Are you sure you want to bring Piper with you? You aren’t afraid you’ll lose her?”

“I won’t lose her.” Nora assured him, clutching the stuffed fox to her chest as Jonathan nodded his head, handing Nora her coat before pulling on his own.

“Okay, if you’re sure. Now, come on, let’s go.”


End file.
